


Identity Crisis

by sarahsharpe1231



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 05:56:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7832950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahsharpe1231/pseuds/sarahsharpe1231
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Team Flash comes across a metahuman with a villainous dual personality, Cisco realizes how plausible his fear of becoming evil actually was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dark Side

**Author's Note:**

> For this chapter, anyway, the summary says it all. If you haven't heard, Joey King has been cast as Frances "Frankie" King, aka Magenta. Here's the description of her character: A teen with a troubled past, Frances “Frankie” Kane is a meta-human with the ability to control metal… but her powers come with a dangerous side-effect, causing her villainous alter ego known as Magenta to emerge.
> 
> She'll be appearing in the third episode of the season. It's all but been confirmed that Flashpoint will be done with by episode four...so I just made this post-Flashpoint to actually make this story work and have a purpose.
> 
> So, yeah. Nothing else to really say about this chapter except the seemingly irrational fear that Cisco had all last season doesn't seem so irrational anymore. Someone got powers and became evil because of that. He was just lucky it wasn't him.

“So…her powers are literally…turning her evil?” Barry said, trying to wrap his brain around the thought.

“ _See_?” Cisco jumped in. “See, _this_ is what I was talking about! Barry, this could’ve happened to either of us, okay? We got lucky. This girl got screwed over by someone we all put faith and trust in. Her life is literally now a living hell because of what he did. I knew this was a possibility. I _knew_ I wasn’t scared out of my mind for almost a year for no reason.”

“Cisco, you can’t honestly think this happened out of nowhere,” Caitlin said. “I mean, she very well may have had some form of dissociative identity disorder before this happened. Something must’ve triggered this alter ego to appear.”

“Yeah,” Cisco agreed. “Power? Fear of what she’s capable of? Caitlin, this life is not a pretty one…but it’s not one that any of us chose. And she was what… _14_ …when she woke up one day with superpowers? We can’t fight this girl, okay? We need to help her.”

“Cisco, don’t worry,” Barry assured him. “That’s what we always try to do.”

“Yeah, right,” Cisco said, looking away from him.

“What?” Barry asked, noting the sarcasm in his friend’s voice.

“It’s just…the last person I remember _helping_ was Bette,” Cisco said. “And we couldn’t even help her.”

“Dude, things are different now,” Barry said.

“Why?” Cisco asked. “Because _I_ have powers? Because Wells is gone? It doesn’t change the fact that this is a girl who’s running from her own shadow. What if she just ends up being someone else we can’t save?”

“We’re gonna,” Barry said. “I promise.”

“Yeah, you’ve made a lot of promises,” Cisco mumbled to himself.

“Huh?” Barry asked.

“Nothing,” Cisco said. “I just hope you’re right.”

And with that, Cisco walked out of the cortex and headed toward his workshop.

“What was that about?” Caitlin asked Barry.

“I don’t know,” he answered.

Barry did realize, though, that Cisco had been acting strange ever since… Barry closed his eyes and sighed.

“But I do have an idea,” he regretfully said and began chasing after Cisco.


	2. Paying the Price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time, it's Barry's worst fear coming to life--his best friend losing faith in him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the season finale aired, the idea that Cisco would be vibing Flashpoint has floated around the fandom with different theories as to how he would react to it. This is my take on it. I hope and pray the show follows a similar path because, honestly, when Barry ran back in time and stopped the Reverse Flash, this is the first thought that came to my mind.
> 
> PS: The Big Bads for season 3 have been confirmed to be Doctor Alchemy (who was confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con) and Savitar (who was confirmed at The CW's Television Critics Association panel). I leave it very vague as to what actually happened that caused Barry to turn back time...again...but I'll just leave that to your imagination for now until the show properly fills us in. And if you haven't even seen the season 3 trailer yet...WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?!? GO WATCH IT!!!!!
> 
> PPS: I gave Cisco a suit because GOD HELP ME IF HE DOESN'T SUIT UP THIS SEASON.

“You know, don’t you?” Barry asked, standing at the doorway of the workshop. “You saw it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cisco said as he continued to patch up his suit.

“You vibed…‘Flashpoint’…didn’t you?” Barry clarified, knowing full well that Cisco knew what he meant.

“Oh, so that’s what you’re calling it?” Cisco said flatly, still not looking up at the speedster.

“Not my idea,” Barry said, coming into the room. “That was all Thawne.”

“Of course it was,” Cisco said.

“So you didn’t see all of it?” Barry surmised.

“I guess not,” Cisco said, turning around in his chair to face Barry. “But what I did see was you telling Iris, Wally, and I that you went back in time, saved your mom, and Marty McFly-ed the hell out of our lives! …And that was enough. Barry, I can’t believe you did that. After _everything_ …”

“Cisco, I know…” Barry said, interrupting him.

“No, you don’t!” Cisco yelled. “You don’t know how betraying it is to know that…your life means so little in the grand scheme of things. When the great _Flash_ can reset the world at a snap of a finger…”

“Cisco, you know I didn’t think everything would change that much,” Barry said, defending himself. “I didn’t think… I just wanted her back. I wanted _both of them_ back. The Reverse Flash and Zoom took their lives because of me. They didn’t deserve that. I just… I wanted them back.”

“I get it,” Cisco said. “Okay? I never said that I didn’t. I sold you out to Captain Cold to save my brother. I get that sense of protection when it comes to family. I was just stupid enough to think we were your family, too. Oh, wait! No, I thought that because that’s exactly what you told me. So when you say things and you make promises…I can never be sure that I can fully trust you. Because who knows? Tomorrow I may wake up and be the president or I may never wake up at all because you’ve created a world where I die and you never run back in time and save me. Decisions have repercussions, Barry. Yours more than anyone’s.”

“Which is why I decided to go back and stop myself,” Barry said. “That life may have seemed perfect…but it wasn’t. Because I didn’t have you or Joe or Iris or Caitlin or…”

“Oh and here I was thinking you did it to stop the world from being destroyed by Doctor Magic and the god of speed,” Cisco said, rolling his eyes.

“Alchemy and Savitar?” Barry asked.

“Does it _matter_?” Cisco retorted. “I may have been the richest man in America but money can’t buy the life I have here. That’s what matters. Knowing that the relationships you still have here are valuable enough to keep.”

“Are you finished?” Barry asked.

“Yeah,” Cisco said, wanting to feel prouder of himself than he did.

“Cisco…I stopped it from ever happening but I can’t change the fact that I did it in the first place,” Barry said. “It’ll be engrained in both of our memories forever whether we like it or not. As far as everyone else knows…nothing ever changed…so we need to pretend like it didn’t. I know you’re hurt. I know you’re pissed at me…maybe even the world…”

“I swear, if you’re about to tell me to ‘use my anger’ and turn my being mad at you into a pep talk…” Cisco interjected.

“No,” Barry answered. “What I was gonna say was…you have every right to be. I was selfish. I took all of this away from you. I had no right to. I wouldn’t be surprised if you never trust me again. If I’ve learned anything from this experience it’s that…just because we _can_ do something, it doesn’t mean we should. For the rest of our lives, we’re gonna have to make choices that define how we want the world to see us.”

“Barry, what’s your point?” Cisco asked.

“My point is,” Barry said, “I’m making the decision to help Frankie at whatever the cost. Now you have to decide…whether you trust me enough to help me do that. Because I can’t do it without you. I mean, if anyone can relate to her, it’s gonna be you.”

“Dude, _of course_ I’m gonna help her,” Cisco said. “Life dealt her a rotten hand and I’m not gonna sit by while someone else lives out my nightmares. But it _will_ take a while before I can trust you again. I’ve done everything these past two years to prove to you that, for better or for worse, I’m in this. You need to prove that to me now. I hope you can.”

“I hope I can, too,” Barry said.

Cisco turned around and went back to working on his suit. Heavy hearted, Barry stood up and slowly started walking out of the room. Before he headed into the hallway, he turned around to look at Cisco…whose back was turned to him. Barry knew he screwed up. He just didn’t know it would hurt this much.


End file.
